


Shibari

by Heliocat



Series: The Heart Of A Broken Story Series [2]
Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexuality Spectrum, Ash gets a lot of ASMR, Boys In Love, Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hugs, M/M, No Smut, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Photography, Rope Bondage, Sensuality, Shibari, Trust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:08:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26086228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Heliocat/pseuds/Heliocat
Summary: They've been together a while, but Ash notices that Eiji is not the most receptive guy when it comes to his flirting. While he is perfectly fine with a vanilla relationship, he kind-of wants more.A photography project Eiji is working on provides the perfect solution.Loosely a sequel to 'The Heart Of A Broken Story', but can be read standalone. Now with illustrations! (And despite the title and premise, this is actually a relatively smut free story - sorry to disappoint).
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Series: The Heart Of A Broken Story Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1981192
Comments: 20
Kudos: 111





	Shibari

**Author's Note:**

> The research I had to do for this... hoo boy! Let's just say that my internet history looks interesting, and leave it at that!
> 
> While some people see Ash as asexual, I think he's more likely celibate through trauma rather than lacking that attraction. However, I do think Eiji is somewhere on the asexuality scale, maybe dabbling in the grey end of it somewhere... it's a pure headcanon built on speculation and my own ace experiences. He seems like a very affectionate person, but it's never sexual. Sing also states that their relationship wasn't sexual, but they clearly love each other. We never see what Eiji's like around girls in canon though, as most of the Banana Fish characters are male, so maybe he's just bi-or pan-romantic.
> 
> I'm English, so British English has been used for spelling and grammar.
> 
> Anything written <"Like this"> indicates the character is speaking in Japanese. Ash can understand Japanese in this fic too (it is a sequel to a fic I did previously where he learnt Japanese). 
> 
> Many thanks to Akimi Yoshida for creating Banana Fish - this is a work of fanfiction, so I own none of the intellectual property.

Unofficially, they had probably been an item for over four years, officially three, but circumstances and red tape had kept them apart for most of it. Eiji had overstayed his visa during the Banana Fish incident, and had been trapped in his home country for three years by federal law. Ash was also restricted by a probation placed on him as punishment for shooting Lao, but its duration was relatively short in comparison and the moment Ash gained his freedom he had boarded a plane to Japan. For two years he had followed a cycle, working as a freelance writer under Max’s wing and lodging under his roof with Jess and Michael, earning enough money for a flight, then travelling over to Japan for a week or two every few months, before returning to New York to work again. Eiji’s travel ban was lifted in this third and last year of study. Having dropped out of his sports science scholarship through injury and spending a lot of time upon returning to Japan considering his options and thinking about what he actually wanted to do with his life, personal experience told him his true potential lay in a different direction from a pole vault pit. He had restarted his further education following a new path, studying photography in more detail. For his final year, he opted to study abroad, earning a placement at the School of Visual Arts as an exchange student. His destination: New York.

Ash had moved out of Max’s house to be with him. They shared an apartment in Greenwich Village, Ash paying most of the rent. He had made quite a name for himself as a freelance writer, the political and scientific journal papers especially enjoying hearing his insights into modern issues. Some referred to him as a prophet when his predictions on governmental issues came true. He had become a professor in all but name, self-taught for the most part and deciding it was easier to learn things at his own pace and study the broad range of things that interested him as and when he fancied it, rather than to limit himself to the rigidity of a university course just to get some extra letters to tag on the end of his surname. Besides, it likely wouldn’t be long before some college somewhere gave him an honorary doctorate or something, but it wasn’t like he was a child genius any more either; once you hit twenty, he found nobody really gave a damn how smart you are. Nevertheless, when they received a packet from ‘A. J. Callenreese’, it usually got published and peer reviewed with great interest. Sometimes, he would write columns for the local papers; frequently he found his musings in the New York Post. He made more than enough money for them both to live comfortably on until Eiji finished his course. Eiji, naturally, took over most of the domestic work, saying he had to earn his keep somehow, plus Ash had a tendency to slob out all day at home on his computer unless something more pressing tempted him away. Ash often commented that it reminded him of old times, especially first thing in the morning when Eiji would kick him out of bed to come and eat breakfast before he went off to campus for the day.

Ash always thought theirs was a strange relationship. It had a dynamic he had found hard to understand at first, although he wasn’t complaining about it either as it was a factor that played a huge part in his attraction to the good-natured Japanese boy. Eiji was very giving when it came to affection. He was a hugger, enjoying close contact and cuddles, and he would accept kisses readily, but it never went any further. He would never pester for more, and he seemed immune to Ash’s flirting. He had tried every trick in the whore book, using body language and innuendo to show he was interested and receptive, but nothing seemed to work. It wasn’t as if he was ignoring it or it was a language barrier either – Ash could now speak Japanese almost as fluently as he could English, and Eiji was perfectly capable of using innuendos of his own, but even then his suggestions seemed to fall on deaf ears or were brushed off as jokes. Ash wasn’t going to push him into doing something he didn’t want to do, and it wasn’t that he necessarily wanted to go too much further himself – his past haunted him too much to go all the way, even with someone as trustworthy and gentle as Eiji – but just kissing was starting to feel… a little vanilla. A bit of foreplay would be nice now and again, something a tad kinky or rude he could recall on to ease tension in those lonely hours. Imagination alone didn’t quite have the same effect. He wanted Eiji to touch him, wanted that sensual feel of someone on him.

A book Blanca recommended had finally helped shed some light on a possible cause. The Russian somehow figured out where Ash was living - even when he moved house and nobody had told him, which was kind-of creepy, but it was Blanca so he wasn’t surprised in the slightest. He would sporadically write letters out of the blue. A bibliophile as always, his letters came with a selection of books listed that he felt Ash may benefit reading himself. One of them was a book called ‘The Bone People’ by Keri Hulme. Ash found the child abuse nature of the book difficult to read, even triggering in some places, and the writing style itself was unstructured and switched perspectives in a confusing way, but he had persevered. A couple of pages on one of the main protagonists, Kerewin, had grabbed his attention. She had described not being interested in sexual contact, but having no background reason like abuse or abandonment to explain it. It was just the way she was. Her case seemed far more severe than Eiji’s, because Eiji was definitely interested in emotional commitment; he went to putty if Ash did something romantic, for instance, and he had no issues with platonic touch or intimacy in general. It got Ash thinking though.

After doing a little bit of research himself and finding it to be a relatively spartan subject with little research, many people claiming it didn’t exist or was just a low libido, he found a word for it: Asexual.

That explained a lot. If he lacked that sexual interest, then Ash could shake his ass and make lewd comments until the cows come home. The best he’d manage, if Eiji even picked up on it as being a serious advance at all, is to embarrass him a bit and possibly even scare him off entirely.

Flirting alone was going to get him nowhere, and if he waited for Eiji to make the first move he would be waiting forever. He would have to be straight with Eiji, and come up with a compromise where they’d both be happy.

******

He broached the subject tentatively after dinner that evening.

“Eiji… what do you think of me. Really.”

“Huh?”

“Do you find me attractive?”

“Yes. You are very attractive.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question, Eiji. I want to know if you, personally, find me attractive.”

Eiji looked genuinely confused. That -was- the right answer, right? He did find Ash to be a stunning person to look at. His slim, willowy body and blonde hair were enviable, his eyes the most luscious shade of green he’d ever seen, expressive of every little emotion he felt. From an artist’s perspective, he was classically beautiful, his pale complexion and effeminate features reminiscent of the biblical paintings of the old masters. His personality was what attracted Eiji most though, the fiery intensity in it combined with a teasing softness that he reserved just for him... he loved that. He had that bad-boy-turned-good charm that made him feel protected and safe, and he was especially tender and gentle when they held each other, hands that had killed in the past enveloping him with nothing but grateful kindness. He loved how vulnerable Ash allowed himself to be around him, loved the trust they shared, loved that every moment they were together was special. He had no idea what Ash was expecting him to say. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t think he had, but… the way Ash was staring at him now made him nervous.

<“Ash, you are beautiful to me. You know that. I don’t really understand what you are asking me all of a sudden,”> he replied. Ash sighed at him.

“I figured,” he said. He didn’t sound angry, just tired. “Eiji; I’m going to be straight with you here. Have you ever, at any point of time, wanted to do me.”

“What?”

“Like, have you ever felt the urge to bend me over a table and take me up the ass, for instance?” Ash said bluntly. “Have you ever fantasised about me sucking you off, or maybe of me buggering you senseless until the early hours? I don’t know if you’d prefer to be on top or bottom, but it’s irrelevant. I just want to know if you ever think about having sex with me at all?”

Eiji looked shocked and went a little pale at his crass descriptions. Firstly, he was surprised at what Ash was asking so brazenly. He knew better than anyone his boyfriend’s trauma of the past. He felt squeamishly chaste considering his words and, in all honesty, no, he had never fantasised these scenarios. He’d never even considered them an option. His dirtiest fantasy involved sharing a bed and just being held, and they did that most nights anyway. Thinking about it, did that make him weird? Literally everyone, male and female, found Ash inspired urges inside them. Even now he was an adult, even if he was dressed in ugly clothing or was just quietly minding his own business, he still had to fight off advances sometimes when they were out in public. They were a couple, and an incredibly emotionally close one, but… was he unusual? His sister had called him broken before, but he had shrugged it off as her bullying him for being single. Still, even if he would never act on those fantasies, shouldn’t he be having them anyway? The word association automatically set off scenarios in his head, and he could feel himself baulk at the very ideas, as either the giver or receiver. It all seemed so… messy and unnecessary. He had no problems thinking about other people doing it, was pretty positive about the whole idea in general as a display of devotion between two people, but when it came to himself, imagining himself in those situations, something about it terrified him, made him feel faintly ill, and unlike Ash he’d never been abused or taken advantage of. He had no logical reason to feel that way.

Ash was staring at him expectantly, his emerald eyes boring into him as he demanded an answer from him. Suddenly, he felt inadequate, like he was no longer enough for his vibrant partner. It had been going so well, and now suddenly Ash was asking him things like this…

<”I… I don’t,”> he said quietly, looking down at the tabletop unable to meet his gaze.

“You don’t?”

“…no.”

Eiji looked so miserable and bewildered at that confession that Ash felt his heart flutter sympathetically. It had been cruel of him to put him on the spot like that, but it needed to be done. They would both benefit in the long run.

<”I’m sorry…”> he apologised like he was somehow at fault.

“What are you apologising for?” Ash asked him, his face softening into a kind smile. He stood up from his chair and walked around the table to a despondent Eiji. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I just wanted to confirm a few things, that’s all.”

“I think there is something wrong with me…” Eiji murmured. “I have never… never really thought things like that about anyone.”

“Eiji, there is nothing wrong with you at all,” Ash assured him, hugging him from behind, reassuring him. “You are perfect the way you are. Don’t ever change. As I said, I just wanted to confirm something.”

“Are you… unsatisfied with me?” Eiji asked him. “I just thought that-“

“Shush,” Ash said. “You’re more than enough. I love you more than life itself.”

“I am sensing a ‘but’…”

“But…”

“I knew it.”

“I’m not going to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with,” he promised. “But I… kinda want to take things a stage further.”

Eiji’s breath hitched nervously at that statement. “Ash, I do not think I-“

“I’m not asking to go all the way,” he assured him calmly, holding him tighter. “I don’t want to go that far either, but there are a lot of things we can try that don’t involve sex. I think we could both enjoy something like that.”

“Maybe…” Eiji sounded unsure.

“We’ll figure something out,” Ash said, kissing the top of his head. “There’s no rush.”

******

Ash found the art book mixed in with some of Eiji’s notes that he’d left neatly piled on the table. He’d gone out to the grocery for ingredients for the next couple of days and had left his coursework out, awaiting his attention on his return. He was working towards his final portfolio, and it looked like he was experimenting with some… rather interesting concepts. Ash pulled the book out and saw the cover photo of a Japanese lady, topless and bound with hemp rope, her legs and arms contorted behind her as she hung suspended from a hook on the ceiling. The title was a single bold word, white font standing out on the moody, dark photograph: _Shibari._

“Hello…” Ash muttered to himself, flicking through the book with interest. Each page held an image of someone tied in various artful ways, both men and women in varying levels of dress, the ropes accentuating certain parts on the body like the breasts, the butt, or the genitals. Some were lightly restrained, just the arms or legs, or a few ropes around the chest. Others were knotted from neck to toe so tightly and intricately that movement would be impossible. It was as much an art form as it was bondage.

It was perfect.

Eiji came home, arms full of paper-bagged groceries.

<”I’m home,”> he called out in Japanese, as was their custom now.

<”Welcome home,”> Ash replied. “You get everything you need?”

<“They were out of avocado,”> he said. <“The cashier said there had been a run on them this week since that chef on TV made ice cream…”>

“Hmm…” Ash grunted, disinterested in the availability of avocado. He watched Eiji languidly from the table as be busied himself putting the food away, waiting for him to stop being a content little housewife and pay attention to him. He held the book in one hand by the corner with his thumb and pointer finger, swinging it back and forth.

Eventually, Eiji acknowledged him. He saw the book in his hand and froze.

“Ah…!”

“Found your art project,” he smirked.

“It is purely aesthetic,” he said, his voice high and panicked, with that reedy quality it got when he was anxious. “The theme for my finals is ‘The Beauty of the Human Body’, so my tutor suggested it, and-“

“I like what I see here, Eiji.” His voice was low, an animalistic growl, the voice he used to tempt people.

<“What?”>

“How exactly were you going to use this for your work?” he asked, genuinely interested.

“Well… we were going to get model in,” Eiji admitted sheepishly. “I was approaching it as art form, rather than…”

“Cancel the model,” Ash demanded. “Use me instead.”

<“Are you serious?”>

“Deadly serious.”

“But what about-“

“You know what I said about having fun without sex?” Ash said, placing the book down on the table. “This looks like it could be fun. You were going to do it to someone anyway, so why not me? I trust you not to take advantage of me.”

“I would need to take photo…”

“Doesn’t need to be the face, does it?”

“No… we can hide face.”

“Then it’s cool.”

“You sure you okay with it?”

“Having you dominating me? Eiji, it’s a massive turn on!”

The only thing redder than Eiji at that moment would be a ripe tomato, and even then the competition was close. It was adorable how embarrassed he was, face flushed and eyes shifty, uncertain of what to look at. He made some indecipherable noises of bashfulness. Ash chuckled fondly, standing and approaching him.

“Of course, I’ll only do it if you’re happy to do so,” he said, placing one of his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He leaned forward so he could whisper in his ear. “I’d rather you put your hands on me than on a random model though…”

Ash hadn’t thought it was possible for a human body to blush any more then Eiji had been. He was promptly proven wrong.

******

Eiji spent the next afternoon setting up a photography studio in their bedroom. He had borrowed an umbrella light and a seamless paper backdrop from the university, positioning it behind the bed to provide a blank slate. The bed he draped with a dark crushed velvet throw, a pile of several pillows and cushions of varying sizes covered in fabric cases in shades of black, crimson and chocolate brown piled against the headboard. A plastic box full of smooth red-coloured nylon ropes of varying lengths, one traditional Japanese Kitsune mask painted with red whiskers, and a large pair of strong utility scissors sat at the foot of the bed. Ash watched him with wry interest; he must have moved the exact position of the light seven times now, obviously procrastinating.

“Nervous?” Ash asked him, leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed and smirking.

“A little,” he admitted, sheepishly.

“Don’t be,” Ash told him. “I’m not.”

“I have practiced,” Eiji said, reassuring himself more than Ash. “On mannequins. On myself. I only know basic things, but I have practiced all the knots, many times! I know where it is safe to tie, read all the instructions!”

“I don’t doubt you.”

“You read the safety instructions, yes?” Eiji asked.

“For the tenth time, yes!” Ash told him, a little exasperated. “I am to tell you if it hurts, if I feel numb, if I’m having trouble breathing, and if I panic and want out immediately the safe word is ‘Pumpkin’. Plus, you’re going to tell me exactly what you’re doing every step of the way, so I can say no to it at any time.”

“Okay…” Eiji muttered, twiddling his thumbs together. “Okay… so we are doing this… we are actually doing this…”

“I’ll go get ready,” Ash told him. “Relax, alright!” He rolled off the doorframe and went to the bathroom. Eiji heard him lock the door, the sound of the shower being turned on… He pulled the ropes out of the box, unknotting the hanks ready for use, feeling along the lengths for rough fuzzies that might scratch, making sure the scissors were in an easily accessible place nearby. He could feel his heart rabbiting in his chest, his pulse loud in his ears. Was it nerves or was it excitement? He wasn’t sure. Ash seemed really into this, and he wanted him to be happy, but… well, this was all new and strange, unfamiliar territory he almost feared to tread. Doing this impersonally with a willing model for the sake of art was one thing, but with his boyfriend, Ash Lynx, former prostitute? Doubling it up as a bedroom thing? This was either going to be the greatest photoshoot ever, and both of them would enjoy it a lot and would maybe continue to participate in things like this together in the future, be that with or without photography included, or it would be a cringe-fest for the ages.

He doubted he’d be able to live up to the expectations Ash had put on him. He liked the appearance of Shibari, but it was in the same way he liked burlesque and erotic artwork; people were beautiful, and he appreciated it as a craft that used the human form itself to express that beauty. He was only a beginner too. He could knot a couple of harnesses and simple binds, but if Ash was expecting anything fancier than a basic chest bind then he was currently going to be out of luck. He hadn’t quite figured out the more intricate, artful ties, the combination knots and overlapping designs yet. They couldn’t do suspensions here either; without a properly installed ceiling support it was too dangerous, and Eiji doubted his skills at the current level anyway, so this would be entirely floorplay. Then there was his boyfriend’s past to consider too - he was honestly surprised that Ash had suggested bondage play, considering he had frequently found himself tied to bedsteads to prevent him from fighting while people paid to rape him. Ash was putting a massive amount of trust in him and he felt truly honoured, but he also didn’t want to hurt him or remind him of horrible things. He had PTSD, nightmares continuing to haunt his sleep from time to time when he was alone, and certain innocuous things triggered him. He avoided baseball like the plague, for instance, and he still had issues being alone around older men he didn’t know well. The latter he overcame when necessary with bravado and intimidation tactics, acting like he was unafraid when he was actually anxious as all hell, and it made him seem aloof, rude, and sarcastic if you didn’t know him.

He had also been known to have panic attacks. Thankfully, these were rare nowadays, but he used to have them frequently when he was younger, before Blanca trained him in self-defence and taught him some techniques on how to control his anxiety better. 

Eiji had seen him on the verge of breakdown several times, but had only seen a full-on panic attack once before. He would rather not see one again if it could be prevented. Unfortunately for Ash, the Japanese love baseball just as much as the Americans do, and they had encountered a group of rowdy men enjoying a drink in an Izakaya in Matsue, celebrating their team’s win. A couple had been in their team’s kit to support them and, when they get drunk and happy, Japanese men, especially in Izakayas, have a tendency to get sociable with everyone around them. One got a little too close to Ash for comfort and it set him off into a full-blown hysteria. Usually, in the States, although he rarely used it any more, he still carried a gun at all times because it gave him confidence and helped him feel like he was in control in situations like this. You’d pull it out and people left you alone. On the Manhattan streets, his name still carried a lot of weight too; once they figured out they were talking to Ash Lynx, ruthless former gang boss, their attitude towards him usually changed in an instant. However, it is illegal in Japan to carry a firearm, leaving him feeling vulnerable when out in public. The people were usually pretty meek though, and he was normally with Eiji or sometimes Ibe, so it rarely caused an issue. If it had just been a regular drunk adult male, with Eiji there to reassure him, he would have been a little rattled but fine, would have shrugged it off, maybe snapped at the man to back off… it was the baseball kit that had done it. Flashbacks to his childhood in Massachusetts, a friendly coach taking him home, offering him comfort when nobody else would… touching him… the taste of the towel… that feeling of powerlessness… hopelessness… pain and humiliation and nobody helping him… He’d stumbled out of the bar in blind fear, Eiji following and finding him leaning against an alley wall just outside. He had never seen him like that before; soaked in cold sweat, pale as a ghost, shaking like a leaf and struggling to breathe properly, clutching at his chest as hyperventilated staccato gasps tugged at his ribs, eyes wide, staring at the middle distance as he withered against the brickwork making unhappy whining sounds like a wounded animal. It had been terrifying for both of them, and all Eiji had been able to do is hold him as they rode through it together, Ash desperately clinging to him like his life depended on it. What if he panicked now? What if Eiji couldn’t get the ropes off him fast enough? What if, what if, what if…

“I’m ready,” Ash had returned wearing nothing more than a modest pair of plain black trunks. Eiji squeaked nervously when he came in. “What’s the matter? You’ve seen me naked before. This time I’m wearing undies at least…”

“I have, but…”

Ash could see him trembling, although he tried desperately to hide it. He was nervous - very, very nervous. More than Ash had expected him to be.

“I made it weird, didn’t I,” he sighed.

“I am more worried for you than for myself,” Eiji admitted. “Kinbaku is… very restrictive. I worry it may cause trauma for you from past.”

“C’mere,” Ash beckoned him over, holding his arms wide. He pulled Eiji into a gentle hug. “It’s alright. I trust you. I asked you to do this!”

“This is art,” Eiji’s muffled voice came from his chest. “Art!”

“It sure is,” Ash told him. “And art is supposed to be fun! How about we start with something simple, hmm? Think you can do that? And if you find it too uncomfortable then, we’ll stop.”

“…Okay.”

“Alright, so, where do you want me?”

“Anywhere will do… I need you to stand please. I will start with Hishi Karada, or rope dress. It is full body but does not involve any arms or legs being restrained. Simple but effective, no need to stretch first and will give you a feel for it.”

“So polite!” Ash teased him, moving to stand by the bed. “Here alright?”

Eiji nodded. He picked up one of the ropes, found the centre, and folded it into a bight. He knotted it into a loop and passed the rope ends over Ash’s shoulders so the knot and loop now hung loosely at the back of his neck, tickling his shoulder blades.

“Please hold knot – I do not want to strangle you!” Eiji said. Ash complied, reaching behind his neck with his right hand to hold the knot in place. “I will start front knots now. There are five knots that… ano… show off body best.” His hands were shaking. It made tying the knots a little tricky, but he neatly made the overhand knots at his clavicle, sternum, solar plexus and belly button. He paused before doing the last one. “This one is optional. It is… happy knot. Did you… did you want it?”

“With a name like ‘happy knot’, how can I say no?” Ash said, a faint giggle of humour dancing in his words. Eiji tied the final knot low down before hesitating again, steeling himself for the next part.

<”Excuse me,”> he apologised in Japanese, opening the loop made between the fourth and the fifth happy knot and hooking it over and around Ash’s genitalia over the top of his pants, passing the long hanging lengths of rope between his legs. Ash understood now why it was a ‘happy knot’. When Eiji pulled the ropes through and up the other side, the knot sat gleefully between his balls and anus, digging lightly into his perineum. Eiji threaded the ropes back up and through the loop he held at the back of his head. He let go of the first knot so Eiji could adjust the beginnings of the harness properly, inhaling sharply when Eiji tugged them gently to get the right tension.

<”Are you okay?”> he asked, hearing Ash gasp and feeling him tense.

“I’m fine,” he responded. “It’s just… that happy knot is really living up to its name!”

“I will start wrapping the ropes now…”

He worked methodically, pulling the ropes through the loops between the knots at the front, gently tugging them to a pleasant tightness that he consistently checked with his fingers, securing with a friction knot at the back. Ash could feel him very warm and very close through the whole process, arms circling around his chest to bring the ropes forward and back, a reassuring presence wrapping him with tenderness, the ropes themselves scratching slightly in a pleasurable way as they slid over his skin.

“You can breathe ok?” he asked halfway down, after he’d finished the main rib cage bindings.

“I’m fine, Eiji,” Ash told him. “It feels nice. Like a rope hug!” The ropes sat snugly just above and below his pectorals; had he been a girl, it would have helped emphasise his breasts, pressing around them and acting like a basic rope bra. Even as a guy, it had a stunning effect, outlining his muscles. He’d never been especially beefy, but it gave the illusion of bulk.

“Okay…” Eiji threaded the next loop around his stomach, centralising everything as he went, sliding the knots at the rear to sit where he wanted them to. He started to do the same thing with the final loop over the top of his hips, but as he tugged it tight at the back…

“Haurgh…!” Ash made a strange, strangled pleasurable sound, toes and fingers curling as the happy knot pressed hard into him, the ropes vibrating as Eiji pulled them though heightening the effect. It had been a while since he’d been stimulated there, the sudden pressure on his external P-spot sending ripples of hedonistic delight through him.

“Ash?”

“Oh, that knot!” he gasped, composing himself. “Keep going – I’m doing just great!”

Eiji secured the final loops. He tucked the remaining rope under the bindings along the spine, securing the loose ends near the top with a small neat bow.

“Finished,” he said, stepping back. “Oh… wow!”

“What?”

“You look… really good! It very pretty!” Red had been a good choice of colour for the ropes. Against Ash’s skin tone, and combined with his blonde hair, the colour really popped.

Two things struck Ash them. Firstly, Eiji had stopped trembling. He appeared to have calmed down considerably, was enjoying himself even. The act of tying the knots, the meticulous nature of how he’d done it, had had a meditative effect upon him. He’d entered the creative zone, engaging in a hobby he found interesting, that Japanese fastidiousness inside him satiated by the neatness and precision of the ties. Secondly, he found a bound Ash to be ‘pretty’. Too many people in the past had used that word to demean him, and anyone else telling him that would have earned themselves a kick in the teeth, but from Eiji, who wholeheartedly meant it, it elicited a warm feeling of happiness inside him. A faint blush dusted his cheeks.

“I guess you want to take photos now?” he asked, trying not to act as much of an exhibitionist as he felt. He was quietly glad that the knot between his legs hadn’t done quite enough stimulation to make him hard; he was maybe half-mast, but the ropes accentuated the area anyway so it was hard to tell. If he squirmed against the bindings, it wouldn’t take much to start an erection blooming, but if Eiji was going to take photos it would be less embarrassing all around if he wasn’t pitching a full-blown tent for them. Later, after the photos and if Eiji was still comfortable with it… he could make private requests then.

“Only if you are still okay with that,” Eiji told him. “I can still use a model for my project if you-“

“Gimmie the damn fox mask,” Ash cut him off. “I’m guessing it’s there to hide my identity. What kind of poses do you want me in?”

“Erm…”

“Want me to just freeform some?”

<“Please,”> Eiji sighed gratefully.

Maybe it was his past experiences coming into play, or maybe he was just naturally photogenic, but as Ash lay sensually on the bed, holding the kitsune mask over his face with one hand, the other tugging lightly on the ropes over his chest as he lounged back on the pillows, Eiji couldn’t help but think he looked incredibly beautiful, like a tempting present waiting to be unwrapped. A trickster God, a real kitsune, looking to seduce anyone who dared look upon him. He doubted a random model would have quite the same effect, would lack that cheeky, teasing appeal his boyfriend had.

He started to take photos, taking them from different angles, a few close ups of the knots as they lay over his stomach and chest. Ash changed his position a couple of times so he could get some artistic photos of him showing off the knots at their best, pulling against him sensually, some taken of his back wrapped up in bondage.

“I have enough, I think,” Eiji said, burning through an entire reel of film. “I will put new film in and… we can try some more maybe?”

“Of course!” Ash said eagerly, taking off the mask and sitting himself on the edge of the bed. He tried not to wriggle around too much; that knot was still there, deliciously stimulating him every time he moved. 

“Are you okay to stay in Hishi?” Eiji asked him, picking up another of the ropes. “I thought maybe… we do arms or a leg next? But I can take Hishi off if you uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine, Eiji – this is great!”

“Alright… Well, I will do legs in Futomoto and then maybe arms together at the front in basic double column Maete Hiji? It will hinder movement… that okay?”

“Do what you need to, Senpai,” Ash said in a low growl, giving his permission.

“I want you be comfortable, so… ano… before tying, I will help you stretch,” Eiji said, sounding nervous again. “I was trained as an athlete how to help others stretch out before and after exercise. They will prevent cramp. Start with arm – you can do them yourself, just copy me.” He showed how to do a cross-chest stretch. “Start with left arm. Keep it straight and bring it in front of self. Hook other arm around and pull it back towards you, as if trying to get it over opposite shoulder. Yes – like that! Good! Hold for ten seconds. You should feel stretch in back and shoulder? Do same for other arm.”

“I never thought I’d have to do warm up for foreplay,” Ash tittered, switching arms. It was a familiar stretch to him; Blanca used to get him to do it to loosen up his muscles during his training at the firing range. When you are stood for a couple of hours, just a weedy little kid with a magnum-calibre pistol, your shoulders sure as hell tell you about it by the day’s end!

“It very important step!” Eiji insisted. “Shibari puts a lot of strain on the body, so stretching out before and after is important!”

“Yes, Senpai.” Ash could see how the respectful title caused Eiji some mild embarrassment. He had toyed with the idea of calling him ‘Oniichan’, but figured incest play was too kinky even for him, and had settled for ‘Senpai’ instead. He just liked seeing his boyfriend antsy. After years of forceful older men ordering him around, it was fun to tease a shy, coy, inexperienced newbie in the bedroom and, while it clearly had Eiji on edge, he hadn’t told him to stop.

“Okay, we will do overhand stretch now. Take a hand over the shoulder and put it between your shoulder blades,” Eiji demonstrated. “Push lightly on elbow with opposite hand…”

The act of moving his arms above his head tugged upwards on the ropes around his body, pulling them tight. The knot between his legs kissed him blissfully with the tension.

“Jesus…” he breathed, his whole body tensing. “You doin’ this to me on purpose?”

“What?” The innocent look Eiji was giving him said he wasn’t.

“Never mind – it’s fine, Eiji! Stretching feels… really good!”

“Err… okay then. Switch arms, do the same for the other one.”

Ash did so, trying not to grind down on the teasing nylon lump as it once again pressed in upon him, biting his lower lip as a distraction. He kind of felt like giggling; the whole situation was surreal. He was seriously turned on right now, tied up tight and neat with a bow on the back, and the one who did it was stood in front of him acting more like a concerned sports physio than a dom. It was just… so suitably Eiji. The fact he was stretching along with him as an example; his T-shirt had ridden up slightly to show just the barest slither of soft olive skin near his hips, the sinews in his arms pulled taut flaunting a hint of his old athletic strength. Fuck, he was beautiful.

“Alright, we will do legs now. If you lay back on the bed, I will help you to achieve better stretch… it may hurt a bit if you not used to it, so please say if I push too hard.”

“God, that’s a sentence I always dreamed of hearing!” Ash practically purred. Eiji picked up on his innuendo, a cute flush staining his cheeks a delicate rose shade.

“B…behave!” he stuttered. “I’ll start with the left one. Bend both knees for me, feet down, to better support back.”

Eiji stood beside the bed next to him, gently grabbed hold of his left ankle, and raised his leg, straightening it out. He pressed down on the ball of his foot and in front of his knee with his hands, pulling the hamstrings.

“I thought you said it might hurt?” Ash said.

“This one does not,” Eiji said. “But this one might.”

He manipulated his knee so it was bent as far as possible, and then firmly pushed down on the front of the shin, forcing it up towards his stomach. Ash involuntarily whimpered, fisting at the bedsheet as the movement stretched not only the muscles in his glutes and thighs, but also those often-forgotten little ligaments in his pelvic floor. The stretch didn’t hurt at all - God knows in the past he’s had his legs forced further over his body than that by people far rougher and heavier than his boyfriend - but the sudden wave of tingles that little knot produced as his body rubbed and tensed against it caught him by surprise. Eiji released the tension suddenly, letting go and stepping back as if Ash had burned him, looking concerned.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked, worry evident in his tone of voice. <”Are you ok?”>

“No! God no, Eiji, it doesn’t hurt! I’m fantastic!” Ash told him, smiling broadly. “But if you want to keep your photography as art and not hardcore porn, you may want to be careful doing that stretch while I’m wearing a harness!”

Eiji appeared to do some quick maths in his head, putting two and two together. His expression went from concern, through confusion, to enlightenment as his eyes alighted on his groin and the ropes digging in. “Oh,” he gasped. “Is it…?”

“It’s certainly making me happy, is what it’s doing!” Ash quipped. “I never realised my taint was this sensitive!”

“…I will just do hamstrings for now then,” Eiji said, repeating the hamstring stretch on his other leg, his face glowing with a demure blush. “But after… ano… I was hoping to do another couple after this, and they do not have anything… there… but… Hishi is quick, and if we leave starting knots on rope I can put it back on you at the end… you still need to stretch afterwards… so…”

“Oh fuck, I do not deserve you!” Ash said, voice barely louder than a gravelly whisper.

“I will do Futomoto on the leg we managed to stretch properly,” he said, picking up a new piece of rope. “I was going to do both, but… well, contrast between bound and unbound leg might be interesting.” He manipulated the leg to be where he wanted it, knee fully bent, ankle resting up just behind his ass. “Do you think you can you hold this position for several minutes?”

“It’s not uncomfortable,” Ash told him. “I’ll manage.”

“I will untie as soon as finished photos,” Eiji promised him. He started winding the rope in a single column knot around his ankle, making sure the rope was tight, but not biting into him. He then proceeded to wind the rope in a spiral around both his thigh and shin, pulling it taut and forcing the two halves of his leg together. After five rotations, Eiji tied it off with a hitch knot.

“The knots go down the inside of the leg, and then back up on the outside,” he explained. “It is a bit like… meat roll from butcher, with string on outside.”

“So my leg will look like a ham?”

“I like ham,” Eiji shrugged.

“I bet you do,” Ash growled with seductive sarcasm.

“It is not too tight, is it?” Eiji asked him before he continued, either ignoring or immune to the carnal tones Ash had taken to using. “No tingling? Numbness?”

“It’s fine.”

He made a series of hitch knots along the inside leg, starting from the knee and working his way slowly down towards the ankle and groin, pulling and wrapping the rope around itself, grunting quietly with the effort every time he tugged the rope tight. Ash had propped himself up on his elbows to watch him, amused by the serious expression he wore, admiring the cute little furrows present between his eyebrows that he got when he was concentrating. He mused that it was the closest someone who wasn’t a medical specialist had got their hands to his junk in years, and yet he was way more interested in a couple of lengths of rope than in his family jewels. He almost laughed, wondering how Papa Dino would have reacted to him being in such a compromising position and what a harsh juxtaposition it was to his diligent boyfriend. It made him love Eiji even more, seeing him work between his legs without turning it into something sordid, instead creating beauty through trust.

“I will finish knots up the outside now,” he said, moving position and working back up on the outer leg from his ankle up, tucking the ends neatly under the central line to hide them. Ash tried experimentally to move the bound leg, finding Eiji had left him with a little bit of wiggle room for comfort so blood supply and nerves were not being compressed, but the rope held him tight to that position and there would be no way of escaping its grasp easily. He could still just about manoeuvre himself into a more upright seated position, pushing himself up with his arms and shifting his weight with his free leg.

“I don’t think I’m gonna to be going anywhere for a while,” he said lightly. 

“Does that bother you?”

“Well, in the long run it might make walking an issue.”

“I will take that as a no. Are you ready for Maete Hiji?”

“Arms, right?”

“I will do, like, basic rope handcuff. I could wrap it further up arm, but I think too much more and we overkill the look. I will do more with arm binding on the next one.”

“You’re the boss,” Ash told him, holding his wrists out. Eiji found a shorter piece of rope, just long enough to wrap around in a thick double-column bind. He left it fairly loose, but not so loose that Ash could slip out of it easily. If he went at it with his teeth, he might be able to free himself though. “You better put that fox mask back on me – I can’t exactly do it myself right now.” Eiji did, carefully sliding the elastic strap over the back of his head to hold it in place.

“I will get camera. Are you still fine?”

“I’m just peachy – I want to do more!”

“I will take photos quickly then… can you…?”

Ash assumed a pose he figured was artsy, resting his cuffed wrists on the top of his bound knee. He couldn’t see anything through the mask, and flinched slightly as something gently caressed his other leg, not expecting the touch of Eiji’s hand on him.

<“Sorry!”> he said, feeling him tense and removing his hand. “I should have said I was there – I was just moving leg to get better angle!”

“It’s alright,” Ash said. “I know it’s you, it was just unexpected.”

“I will make sure to ask in future…” He returned his hand, carefully manoeuvring his free leg to the position he wanted it to be in. Compared to his bound leg, his free one looked elegantly long and pale, and Eiji tried to place it as best he could to reflect this quality, the graceful nature of freedom, contrasting with the alluring entrapment of the rest of his body.

“Eh. As long as it’s you, I quite like the unexpected!” Ash told him, smiling behind the mask.

Eiji replied with a quiet ‘hmm’. Without seeing his face, Ash couldn’t tell if it was a positive or negative sound for sure, but judging by the succession of camera clicks that followed immediately after it was more than likely a happy noise. An unhappy Eiji tended to hesitate.

“Could you move hands up please?” he asked shyly. “So they are up by shoulder maybe?”

“Like this?” Ash moved to where he thought he meant.

“A bit more like...” Warm hands gently adjusted his arms so the wrist knot rested on his right shoulder, his bound hands next to his face. Eiji was getting more hands on; this was good, because it meant he was getting more confident. Most of the wavering quality had gone from his voice too, replaced with a polite, calm, business-like tone. One thing Ash did notice was that Eiji’s ‘professional photographer’ voice was almost entirely English. He used his native tongue far more when he was flustered or emotional, so the use of English was a positive sign that he had overcome his initial nerves. His soft, quiet accent politely asking, never demanding, combined with the anticipation of him lightly touching him again, moving him delicately into position, sent pleasing tingles dancing over his scalp and down his spine. “Perfect! Hold like that please!”

He took a few more photos of Ash in varying positions, carefully helping him to move into them when his bound hands and hobbled leg made it difficult. He again did some close ups, mainly of his leg from the side but also of the cuffs contrasting with the rope dress he was already wearing. When he was done, he removed the mask for him so he could see properly again, and instantly started to untie his hands.

“Done. Let’s get Hishi off you before happy knot does more damage!”

“Hardly damage,” Ash said, rubbing the wrist of his right arm with his left hand to relieve an itch the ropes had left behind. “I’m enjoying it at least.”

“Photos now. Enjoy more later…”

“Of course, Senpai!”

It took almost as long to untangle the ropes as it had to knot them initially, but pretty soon his leg was free. He stretched it out, wiggling his toes and making small circles with his ankle while Eiji started untying the back of the rope dress. A couple of tugs, especially early on while Eiji unlooped the lower fastenings, drew some low moans from him as the ropes were jostled and vibrated, but as the harness loosened so too did the pressure on his nethers and it was with a slight bit of libidinous disappointment on Ash’s part that the ropes went entirely slack leaving him with nothing more than a fancy necklace with a series of knots on it hanging down his front, the loose ends of rope coiled on the floor.

“If we leave these in, Hishi will be really quick to put back on as it’s already tied for your body,” Eiji said, unhooking the rope from around him and putting it aside.

“If it wasn’t that you needed me decent for these photos, I would suggest wearing it all day,” Ash said seductively. “It is surprisingly comfortable.”

“Makes you ‘happy’ too,” Eiji gave him a slight smile.

“It’s only a semi. If nobody touches it, it will go away in a few minutes,” he promised. “Probably.”

“I know. It is just natural reaction. It probably time to take short break now anyway,” Eiji suggested. “I will make some tea. It important to keep hydrated.”

Ash usually liked to keep his promises, but it was proving difficult. He was thoroughly enjoying himself, loving the tender but firm way Eiji had tied him up. The feel of his palms against his skin, his fingers lightly applying pressure as they hooked the ropes through and around, the slightly suggestive way he exhaled when he pulled them taut and the way the ropes had playfully titillated him. Most of all he loved the genuine care and compassion in Eiji’s communication as he asked him every step of the way if he was okay, making sure he was comfortable, checking he was still enjoying himself, that adorable bashfulness when it became apparent he was maybe enjoying himself a bit -too- much. It was several worlds away from the rough handling and terror of the past, a reassurance that the best forms of love and intimacy involved trust and care and mutual enjoyment. He wasn’t ashamed to say that he felt turned on by it, and he was excited to have the process repeated again. He squirmed slightly in discomfort as they took a brief respite, the familiar feeling of pleasure between his legs begging for attention and being ignored. He tried to think of something else, to concentrate on the warmth of the cup in his hands or the loud ticking of the second hand on kitchen clock, but it was hard when his boyfriend was sat opposite him studying the Shibari book, a tantalising glimpse of what was to come, licking a finger to turn a page. When they returned to the bedroom, while not quite as hard as he had been, he was still blatantly aroused.

“I tried?” he said innocently, donning an apologetic simper while Eiji considered the issue thoughtfully, a hand on his chin like he was admiring a piece of modern artwork and trying to find deeper meaning in it, eyes slightly narrowed.

“We will work around it,” Eiji replied. He couldn’t help but smile at the barely hidden glee on his boyfriend’s face. 

They tried out half-a-dozen different binds in varying combinations for Eiji’s project. The first was a basic waist and hip harness, a koshi nawa in a variation of a drum harness, almost like a rope pair of shorts, designed for suspension but used just for the appearance. They didn’t limit his movement at all, and there was no real action between the legs, but the rope ties hugged his butt cheeks closely and drew the eye towards them. It also didn’t stimulate him too much, which was ideal for photography. They kind-of reminded Ash of an erotic rock-climbing harness. Eiji kept him in them for the next two photographs. For his arms, he first tried a dragonfly bind, an elaborate series of synched, looped knots that started over his shoulders and swirled down his back and around his arms like insect wings, bringing his arms in tight to his sides and pulling them behind him as the ties reached his wrists. Eiji had a little bit of difficulty tying it at first, as the ‘wings’ kept coming loose and not binding tight enough. He wasn’t sure what kept going wrong, as it had always worked with the mannequins; he figured the fact Ash was alive and able to wriggle around kept working the knots free, even though for the most part he kept still. Eiji had to pause for a bit to check the instructions, noticing a pro tip to ‘fix’ every synch knot with a second knot to prevent it slipping, eventually succeeding. The second upper body bind was easily one of Ash’s favourites, with the exception of the Hishi rope dress for obvious reasons: A Gote Shibari, or box tie.

It wasn’t so much the feeling of the tie itself that made it so good, but the position he was in relative to Eiji and the movements used to tie it. There were a lot of close embraces, arms wrapping around him from behind, supporting him. It started with them both sat on the floor, Eiji kneeling so Ash was between his legs and pulling his arms behind him, elbows bent with hands flat, forearms running horizontally parallel to each other with the insides of his wrists together to stop the ropes hindering circulation in the veins close to the surface in the delicate area. He tied them together with a single column tie.

“Are you comfortable with hands behind back like this?” Eiji asked him before he continued.

“It feels quite nice,” he replied. “It’s stretching my shoulders and chest back. You don’t really notice how tense those areas are all the time.”

“You should say! I know sports massage!”

“And if you massage like you do first aid, I think you might kill me! Ow!” Eiji had tugged upwards on the ropes jerking his arms behind him, not enough to injure him, just enough to warn him to be nice.

“I am sorry – is clumsy Japanese oaf too rough for delicate American flower?”

What had happened to the nervous, chaste Eiji of earlier? Ash found he quite liked this side of him. Even when punishing him, he was gentle and playful, never boorish or cruel.

“Note to self: do not piss you off when I’m compromised…” he muttered.

<“Would be nice if you did not ‘piss me off’ at all,”> Eiji sniffed. “I shall start chest wraps now. Tell me if it gets uncomfortable at all.”

The first wrap came up from the hands, across the top of the arms, and over the collarbones. In order to get the rope around the widest part of his body, Eiji had to lean into him, embracing him from behind, peering over his shoulder so he could see what he was doing. Ash could feel his dark hair tickling his ear, and there was something sensual about the way he pulled the rope around and taut, passing it from left to right hand, smoothing and holding it in place with the palm of his left so it wouldn’t slip as he brought it around the front, over to the opposite side of his body, tugging it around his other arm to the back. He wrapped twice before fastening it off with a friction knot at the back, gathering all the rope together at one point, his hands now attached to the binds by an elegant central line. He tucked fingers inside the ropes over his upper chest, making sure there was breathing room and they were not digging in.

“We lock strap in place with Kannuki – lock wrap – so it does not slide up off shoulders,” he explained. “Kannuki run just under armpit and around rope at front…”

He demonstrated on the left side, his touch caressing the side of Ash’s chest as he pulled the rope through between his arm and body, under and back over the front binding ropes, and then back under his armpit, cinching the bind around his upper arm and preventing it sliding upwards if he moved at all. He repeated it on the right, tugging lightly to completely lock everything in place, tying to the central rope column with another friction knot.

“It is not too tight?” he enquired again, his calm voice delectably close to his left ear, again sending those frission-like tingles sparking delightfully down his spine, goosebumps rising on his arms. He’d always liked his accent, even though he used to tease him about it. His English had improved a lot over the years they’d known each other, but he had never lost that breathy Japanese pronunciation. Whenever they were both relaxed, such as if they were in bed, or snuggled up together on the couch watching TV, that accent of his quietly whispering to him often set Ash off prickling with satisfyingly pleasant paraesthesia. He sometimes wondered if other people ever got this sensation, or if maybe he was just weird. It was a wonderfully calming sensation to have though, so he wasn’t complaining; it was an addictive bodily reaction, today hitting him incredibly strongly, and he craved more.

“It’s a little tight, but it’s not uncomfortable,” he said. “I can breathe fine.”

“Did you want it loosening?”

“No. Keep going.”

The mid-chest wrap was much the same as the upper one, running over the middle of the arms, around the front just beneath his pectorals and back over his other arm. He pressed back into Eiji as he wrapped his arms around, enjoying the feather-light caresses of his hands over his chest as the rope came around once… twice… hugging him firmly as Eiji tied it off behind him. He finished the wrap with another two Kannuki locks, and he squirmed a little as the ropes passing between his arm and chest tickled him. 

“Are you alright?” Eiji questioned, hesitating while he shifted slightly.

“Ticklish…” he replied.

<“Really?”> Eiji sounded surprised. “I never knew.”

“It’s not like you’ve ever tried tickling me before…”

“I will remember for future.”

“Don’t you dare!”

For the Kannuki on the other side, he made sure to pull the ropes through extra slowly, snickering slightly as Ash wriggled, making unhappy noises like an annoyed housecat as he arched his back.

“You did that on purpose!” he accused.

“Me?” Eiji feigned innocence.

“Someone’s getting too confident,” Ash snorted, miffed but secretly pleased. A playful Eiji was a happy Eiji.

He had a decent length of rope left over at the end, which he used to make a decorative twist at the front along his sternum, feeding the rope under the knots at the back, over his shoulder, hooking it under the mid-chest bind and wrapping it back up around itself so it sat in a spiral along the middle of his breast bone, bringing it back over the opposite shoulder , under the knots, and tying it off with a hitch knot and a bow. He appeared to like ending things with a decorative bow; seems that was his personal touch. The Okamura Shibari calling card.

“How does it feel?” he asked, holding Ash steady with a hand on each of his upper arms.

“Surprisingly comfortable, but I think it would start to hurt pretty quickly,” Ash replied. “It pulls a lot on the shoulders.”

“You are comfortable right now though?”

“Yep.”

“Let us do photos and then we can untie.” Eiji helped him to stand, steadying him so he didn’t lose balance as he couldn’t push himself up with his hands, standing nearby with hands out so he wouldn’t faceplant while he posed himself suitably on the bed. Only when he was happy that Ash was balanced, knelt on the bed with stability and not going to fall, did he move away to fetch his camera.

“Eiji.”

<”Yes?”>

“Fox mask.”

“Oh!” He’d almost forgotten to hide his boyfriend’s identity. He hastily slid the mask on before he started snapping.

They took another break once Eiji untied him, Eiji stressing that it was important to rest between binds. He also said he was starting to get tired.

“It is tough, pulling ropes tight enough to bind,” he said, sipping his green tea pensively. “Takes quite a lot of strength. Also, my hands are starting to hurt. You would not normally do so much in one day.”

“You don’t have many more left to do though, do you?” The afternoon was wearing on, starting to merge with early evening. They had planned to order a takeaway once they were done.

“Hmm. Just one more. And then you wanted Hishi again.”

“Damn right I want Hishi!” Ash said, smirking. “But only if you are up for Hishi. I mean… if you’re getting tired…”

“I like seeing you happy,” Eiji said, staring at him with those big, doe eyes of his, an affectionate expression gracing his features. “Today has been fun. I never thought that I…” He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished. “Anyway, I am not so tired I cannot manage Hishi for you.”

*

The last binds Eiji wanted to try were simultaneously the simplest to look at, but the most constricting to be in. Because they were nearing the end of their session and he would be helping Ash to stretch out afterwards, he didn’t place as much emphasis on warm up prior. His arms were already prepped from earlier, and he hopefully wouldn’t be tied up for too long. He started with both legs in a frog tie, a very simplified version of the Futomomo. He tied Ash while they both sat on the bed, forcing him into a submissive kneeling position with his ankles tied to his upper thigh. It was a quick and simple tie, the only knots being two very basic lark’s head ties with no decorative knotting or wrapping. The second tie was a bunny tie or Waki Zarashi, which brought his arms over and behind his head, like an extreme version of the position you took when you surrendered to the police with your hands on your head to show you’re unarmed. His elbows stuck up either side of his head like rabbit ears while his hands were bound together and anchored to a rope around his waist, a few wrappings around his upper arms keeping him from moving too freely. He was perfectly fine and calm while Eiji was with him, laughing occasionally with that disarming smile of his while Eiji explained what he was doing at every stage.

The problem came when that support moved away from him.

With the kitsune mask on again, he couldn’t see anything, and this was the first bind where all four limbs were incapacitated. With the others he could at least walk around and kick out and, on the one occasion he couldn’t move both his legs, his hands, while tied, had been in front of him, so he could push away. He tried a tentative wriggle, but Eiji had tied the knots firm and true and there would be no escaping without help.

_No escaping._

_No fighting back._

_Alone._

_Trapped._

_All the beds at Club Cod came equipped with bondage rigging as standard. Some of the punters liked it when you were incapacitated… they loved to watch you squirm and writhe in terror, knowing you couldn’t escape. Sometimes they’d tease you, rubbing a sex toy or a finger or something up and down over you while you grew ever more panicked and listless. Sometimes they hurt you; hard slaps, knife play and cigarettes, threats of more to come if you tried to struggle. They liked to watch you cry. Usually, it was just the hands… handcuffs and coarse rope were common, but leather straps were popular, arms above your head, lying front or back, didn’t matter. All that mattered was you couldn’t get away and you couldn’t fight back. Sometimes, though, they wanted all four limbs pinned. They wanted you naked and served up like a fucking fancy dinner feast or something, displayed flattened out like a butterfly pinned in a collection. Fucking perverts - screw them all!_

_He was eleven. So small, fragile, skinny as a twink, splayed on his back, not even tall enough to properly fit the restraints. They were sized for adults after all. He could hardly move, everything pulling on his joints if he even tried to wriggle, leather digging painfully into his ankles and wrists leaving bruises. Someone had blindfolded him, a silk sash over his face… He couldn’t even see who was in the room with him, on top of him… Heavy breathing, hot and foul against his neck… Huge clammy hands, rough, callused, caressing his chest, his sides, his hips, heading south over his peach-soft skin… He was scared, so scared, he wanted to cry, to tell them to stop, but no sound came out, just panicked wheezes… He can’t move, can’t fight, can’t even fucking scream… Chains rattle against the bedframe, a feeble sound as he weakly tugs against them… A camera clicks, Frog in the room getting his shots for those sick bastards who pay good money for hardcore… Someone laughs, a deep rumble, mocking, sneering… Asking if he likes that? Pretty little thing. Does it hurt? Don’t worry baby, I’ll be gentle!_

_Fuck fuck fuck fuckfuckfuckFUCKFUCK! GET OFF ME! STOP! NOOOO!!!_

A camera shutter whirrs and he flinches, mind returning to the present with a sudden jolt, yet he’s still stuck horribly in the past, never free from its harsh grip, never far away from those cold fingers of dread that grip his heart and invade his mind. His chest feels tight, creeping anxiety grasping at his throat like someone is slowly squeezing the life out of him. He tries to take a deep breath, tries to ignore those niggling intrusive thoughts. Even though he’s in the dark, he screws his eyes closed.

_It’s just Eiji… you’re fine… he’s right there, your wonderful Eiji, and you’re doing just great…_

_I want out._

_No. You’re OK. You’re safe! You know you’re safe!_

_I want out._

_He needs his photos for his degree. You said you’d do this! He does so much for you, and all he needs is this one little thing…_

_I want out._

_Almost over… Almost over… He’ll untie you soon… act casual, don’t panic him, he worries so much…_

_I want out._

“E…Eiji?”

The camera sounds stop, Eiji pausing his work upon hearing his name called. A concerned silence follows. He’s not breathing right; it’s lighter and faster than it should be, sweat starting to bead on his forehead even though he felt cold, shivery. He’s starting to quiver, unable to control it. He fidgets slightly, trying to alleviate some tension, but the bonds prevent him from even doing that.

_You were enjoying this before, like the perverted little whore you are! You’re fine! Get over it, you fucking pansy!_

_I want out!_

_I want out! I want out! I want out! I WANT OUT!_

_…_

_I’m scared._

“Eiji!”

<”Yes?”>

“E…Eiji – pum…pumpkin!”

<”Shit!”>

Soft hands touch him, still gentle even in their haste. He feels scissors shearing through the ropes around his wrists with the satisfying tear of rent fibres. He struggles as the bindings slacken, pulling himself free, a stubby knotted band still around his wrist but at least he can move now. The mask is torn off him, flung to the side, light returning to his world and his sun is there. Arms are around him, strong, comforting, safe, and he falls into them, trembling.

<“You’re okay,”> Eiji tells him, sounding scared himself, holding him tight. “You are safe. I am here.”

“’M sorry…” he whimpers, fisting handfuls of his shirt with white knuckles.

“No. I should be one saying sorry! I knew something like this might happen – I knew, and yet we went ahead anyway!”

“It was a…alright before… It was fun! Just… all four limbs at once… with the mask on… is t…too much…”

“It is my fault! I should have realised… should never have…”

“No, I’m fine now – don’t blame yourself!” Ash said, reassuring himself as well as his shaken boyfriend. Already he felt calmer. He could breathe again, the medicine ball pressing on his voicebox shrinking, the uncontrollable shivering petering out to a stop. There was only warmth and safety and comforting hugs. “I’m sorry. Did you get your photos?”

“I do not care about photos! Only you! Fuck photos!”

While still holding Ash in one arm, Eiji shifts so he can start attacking the leg knots with his now free hand, releasing him as quickly as he can, pulling the rope free. He switches sides to get the other one, hands shaking again, once more the nervous, uncertain creature from the start of their play. At this point, he probably needs a hug more than Ash – he’s an empathetic masochist who loved to blame himself for everything, and this time was no exception.

“I’m alright now,” Ash tells him, patting his back. “Don’t beat yourself up over this – everything before that point was amazing! We’ve learnt our limits, so in future we know not to go past them.”

“Y…You want to do this again?” Eiji sounded surprised.

“Actually… I was still kinda hoping for Hishi today…” He used a tone somewhere between childish pouting and seductively playful, wiggling suggestively in a way most people found irresistible. “After all, I still need to stretch. I think I need it after that! I’m all tense and on edge!”

<”Oh my God, you are incorrigible!”> Eiji muttered, but he laughed as he said it, relaxing against Ash. <”You’ll have to give me a few minutes, I think – my heart is still beating really fast!”>

“Aww, you were worried about me!”

“Of course I worry! You are idiot – always make me worry!”

“One of these days you’re going to decide whether I’m an idiot or a nerd.”

“You both,” Eiji said fondly. “Idiot nerd!”

“Your idiot nerd,” Ash reminded him.

<”So embarrassing…”>

“You love me really!”

<”Someone has to,”> Eiji sighed. Ash gave him an affectionate kiss on the forehead.

“Hishi now?”

Eiji rolled his eyes. “Fine!”

It took less than five minutes for Eiji to get him back in the rope dress, not helped by Ash fidgeting with delight, chanting ‘Hishi! Hishi! Hishi!’ and giggling every time the ropes jostled delightfully against him, feeling like a cheeky little kid as his demands were met. It was rare that he acted so immature, having been forced to grow up so fast with a sullen, serious childhood. Eiji tended to coax his more playful side to come out whenever he could, would encourage him to act his age and to enjoy those emotions and youthful joys that he had missed out on. It was a trait that outside of their private life he would never show.

<”You realise I’m going to force you to do a proper athletic stretch session with this on, right?”> Eiji told him firmly. <”I’m not going to go easy on you – you never stretched properly earlier, so it is vital you do now! You’ll end up really stiff otherwise, and you’ll only bitch at me all day tomorrow about it!”>

“Bend me into a fucking pretzel for all I care, Senpai!” Ash said with a naughty smile. “I can take it!”

“You may regret words,” Eiji responded.

Having a sporting background meant Eiji had a surprisingly extensive knowledge of human anatomy and how to push it to its extremes. This was something he was confident with, something he had done practically every day for most of his adolescent life. None of his stretches were painful per-se, but some… well, they brought Ash right to his limits, and he began to question if Eiji was as innocent as he seemed because a lot of them focused on how best to tighten those ropes… Plenty with his arms above his head, bending forward to touch the floor, all movements designed to tug on that little knot between his legs, to tighten the squeeze of the ropes either side of his genitals. The best was yet to come though.

“Stand back to back with me,” he had said. “Hook your arms with mine. This will help stretch spine.” He’d then lent forwards, Ash rolling sensuously over him, all the ropes drawn tight suddenly as the full body stretch bent him backwards, leaving him breathless as they stroked over sensitive spots. “Keep feet on floor!” Eiji barked at him with all the authority of an enthusiastic PE teacher.

“Haaaaah…” Ash gasped, trying to straighten his knees which had involuntarily curled up in delight leaving Eiji practically wearing him like a horny backpack.

The floor stretches were just as strenuous, Eiji apparently focusing on the pelvic muscles even more than his legs, Ash periodically moaning as an especially flexible one satisfied him in ways he never imagined. He may have been only mildly aroused before, but he was unashamedly hard now!

“Bend knees, lay arms at sides,” Eiji said, holding his feet down. “I want you to form bridge.”

“Bridge?”

“Keep shoulders on floor but slowly raise hips up. Roll spine from tailbone up.”

“Hump the sky?”

<“…yes?”>

Fuck, he saw stars!

“Holy Mary mother of God!” he uttered, returning to his Catholic roots as his breath caught in his chest. “Eiji, I gotta… definitely gotta go d…do something about this now or… or I’m gonna jizz myself!”

“So soon?” Eiji said wryly. Damn… he acted all innocent, but he had known exactly what he was doing, the sneaky little git! Asexual my ass…

“Shut up! I…it’s your fault I’m like this!” he said, then whined with a needy moan. “G..get me out of the Hishi – I fucking gotta go jack off!”

<”TMI, Ash,”> Eiji murmured, untying the first few knots while his boyfriend wormed and shifted, trying to stifle the lewd noises he kept making. The moment the last knot came free, he clawed the ropes off himself, waddled from the room into the bathroom, and slammed the door closed.

He came out twenty minutes later, fully dressed again and with a really satisfied expression, like he’d achieved enlightenment in there. Eiji had taken the time to pack away the re-useable ropes, discarding the remnants of the one he’d had to cut off Ash, and had started dismantling the photography set, rolling up the paper backdrop and unscrewing the stand for the umbrella light. Ash came up behind him, wrapped his arms around and leant heavily on his back, chin resting on his right shoulder.

“That was fabulous,” he said contentedly. “Did I ever tell you that you’re the best boyfriend ever?”

“That is lie and you know it,” Eiji replied. “I am only second best.”

“Huh?”

“Best is currently clinging to back like limpet!”

Now it was Ash’s turn to flush roughly the shade of a fire engine. How Eiji could spout such corny things at will without spontaneously dying of embarrassment he never would understand, but he appreciated the sentiment, sappy as it was.

“I don’t deserve you…” he murmured, holding him tight and nuzzling his neck. “But I’m never letting you go either.”

“You will have to eventually,” Eiji said matter-of-factly. “One of us has to phone takeaway!”

**Author's Note:**

> Ash gets a lot of a sensation known as ASMR (Auto-Sensory Meridian Response) in this fic, which to many people feels like a pleasant tingling sensation similar to frisson (that feeling where music gives you goosebumps). It can be triggered by watching repetitive or gentle movements, anticipation of touch, as well as certain sounds, or engaging in activities where there is a lot of one-on-one care and interaction, like haircuts or spa treatments, make-up application, personal shoppers, or even doctor's consultations provided you aren't terrified of medical procedures. People whispering or speaking quietly and calmly, especially in foreign accents, is a huge trigger for many people. If you've ever watched Bob Ross paint and felt relaxed or shivery, then you have experienced ASMR.
> 
> I tried to show how ace and sexual people can both enjoy a satisfying intimate relationship while remaining within comfort zones. Ash, for instance, is allowed to feel horny and enjoy himself, while Eiji isn't pressured into doing anything he feels uncomfortable with. They take it slow, they test the waters, they stop when it gets too overwhelming, they make requests and play to their strengths. Eiji also wants Ash to be happy, and doesn't shame him for his needs even if they don't mirror his own, and Ash is happy to find a compromise using a hobby or interest Eiji has anyway. The intimacy becomes more about sensuality, appreciation, and communication, than about penetration and domination. And that, I think, is beautiful.
> 
> Bondage, especially artistic ones like Shibari, are often used to build relationships without it becoming sexual, which is what I hope I managed to portray here. Sometimes, friends or even complete strangers will do it just for fun. To practice any kind of bondage in a fun and safe way, you HAVE to listen to your partner and establish boundaries. Always have an escape plan (scissors etc.) on hand, and do your research thoroughly or ask an expert on where best to bind (not directly on joints where you can damage nerves and impede blood flow, for instance, only tie as tight as is comfortable, be aware of any past injury or issues your partner might have with being tied up, and be especially careful around the neck and chest!)
> 
> This is my first time writing anything like this! I usually stick to friendship and fluff.


End file.
